


Into the Shadow

by TheaScohy



Series: Tales of Rathein [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Strong Female Characters, male eye candy, multiverse story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23913106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheaScohy/pseuds/TheaScohy
Summary: Thot is a pathmaker of the Tignn tribe. Most of her short life has been spent travelling through her sherished desert, as the peacefull messenger of her people. That was, until she stumbled upon the invaders beyond the worlds, the Vojnakh. And now, with Orion the handsome Disciple of Ghaeryo, and the mysterious guidance of the werewolf Milan, for the first time she can finally build her own path. To save the Empire of Rathein, to grow, to learn, to fight, she goes.
Series: Tales of Rathein [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723657





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, 
> 
> Welcome to my first ever original story in English. So yeah, to preface, I'm not a native English speaker (my first language is french) but i felt like challenging myself, and since i've been reading quasi exclusively in English these last few years, here I am. For obvious reasons I'm very ACTIVELY looking for nice people to review, beta (or whatever honestly) my work. There's not many people around me who are good enough at English and interested in this type of stories. In exchange I'm totally open to read whatever comes my way, be it original or fanfiction (I'm particularly fond of LOTR and Harry Potter, but open to discover new fandoms). I wont be of much help for proofreading tho. 
> 
> Into the Shadow is a story very dear to my heart, first written in french maybe ten or more years ago. This is a rewrite and a translation at the same time. I have a very clear idea of where I want to go, but it can always improve. On Thot's path there is a lot of things, and first LGBT+/Queer love and stories. I'm also really trying to develop a fantasy story more inspired by Middle eastern and Asian cultures, myths, etc. than the usual European tropes (which I do love, but, well, it does become boring after Tolkien).
> 
> Anyway, hope you like it,
> 
> Teddy

**INTO THE SHADOW**

> _All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost._
> 
> _J.R.R.Tolkien, The Lord of the Ring_
> 
> _“A qui la nuit fait-elle peur ?”_
> 
> _“A ceux qui attendent le jour pour voir.”_
> 
> _Pierre Bottero, Le pacte des marchombres_

* * *

# Part 1: Light

## Chapter 1: Thot

The sun was bright when Thot opened her eyes. The suns were always bright for her. And as her eyes fell on the seemingly infinite sea of white sand surrounding her, it felt that they would always be. The noon star with its short but intense path was her favourite. Under it, the world laid bare and true. There was no hiding against its powerful light. Especially for those journeying through the Great Desert of the East, like she was. Like she always had been. Here you would see no tree, house, or mountain to cast any sort of shadow, not for at least a week by foot. Travelers in this region usually preferred the gentler luminosity of the red afternoon sun. But not Thot. She was, after all, a true child of the desert. Born and raised in this unforgiving land, she knew very well how to protect herself from the deadly brightness falling from the sky. Draped in her trusted dark scarf, only her piercing grey eyes would peak through it. Her whole body, in this precise hour, would always be protected by a thin yet opaque layer of clothing. The temperature never really bothered her, but she knew very well about the danger of exposing the vulnerable mortal flesh to the trap of the sun rays and their reflection. The never-ending landscape surrounding her was stunning, with its endless dunes feigning stillness in every direction, far into the horizon. The desert had a pure but severe beauty: hot in its temperature, cold in its temperament. Often, Thot would feel overwhelmed by this vision. She would then allow herself a few minutes to just contemplate it. But it would never last, especially today. She still had a long way ahead.

Not even her own people dared to wander so far into the desert, not alone. But Thot did, for she was a pathmaker. They were the solitary souls who would serve as ambassadors, messengers and caretakers of the trails and wells that linked the oases and other settlements of the Tignn tribe. At the young age of fourteen, she had chosen this duty for herself. Daughter of no one, she had no family to worry about her. And if the decision had bothered some at the monthly council, they did not protest much. Pathmakers were precious, respected but also very evasive members of the tribe. They seemed to answer a mysterious calling, were prone to sudden disappearances, and rarely followed any order or duty that they had not chosen first. However, they knew the desert like no one else in this world. That knowledge more than anything, set themselves apart from the rest of their people. Most Tignns, as common sense dictated it, feared the land outside of their oases greatly. They were aware, more than any inhabitant of Rathein, of the near almighty power of the land. Why had they chosen among all the possibilities, to lay in this unwelcoming place? Only Salila knew, and she was long gone.

This time, she was going south. She possessed no map. Yet, through her many travels and the few encounters with outsiders she made along the way, Thot had heard of the mountains, the forests, and most important, she had heard of the sea. Down south, they said, the land raises itself to impossible heights, for then to stop altogether, bowing to the endless cool water. Where desert met mountains and sea, Rathein also met the Coastals in the east, and the kingdom of Souhela, in the west. The tales seemed too grand, too beautiful to be true. How could the precious water sustain itself in such incredible quantities? How could the dry desert just lay right next to it? Just picturing an end to the dunes surrounding her, seemed like a serious stretch of the imagination. Thot was not a woman who could stand much mystery without doing something to clear it. She did not tell anyone of her project, obviously. They would never approve nor understand it, too scared to lose yet another pathmaker to the outside world. Her kind never lasted very long it appeared, and she was the last of her village. Neila, the woman who had served as her mentor had vanished a few years ago, as soon it seemed as she had considered Thot fit to handle her self-appointed duties on her own. It made perfect sense to her. As one chose to forge their own path, lead only by desire and curiosity, there really was only one possible end. Borders, distance, the fear of the unknown, it held very little meaning for people like them. So, Neila left, Thot put on her mantle. And she would come back dutifully to her village, every single time, until one day at last, some youth expressed the desire to learn her way. She would teach and, as she already knew her heart would feel inclined to, she would leave, one last time. Waiting for that moment, Thot wanted to explore this damned land to the fullest, pushing further and deeper with every journey.

Thankfully, Thot was never truly alone. When Neila had left, free but not unkind, she had let her own khsalin behind. It was a very valuable gift. The khsalin was what the Tignn named the beast they had brought with them, when they first settled in Rathein. Only living vestige of their past existence, before the long exile and wander that ultimately put them on Salila’s path, it was, quite literally, a beast out of this world. In the common language, it was known as the horse-lizard of the desert. A giant with a disproportionate allure, who looked too weird, massive, and fragile to be real. Its body stood through an impossible balance on its hind legs and their enormous flat feet. The two stumps of its front limbs subsisted, as if time and evolution could never completely make up its mind to stand and walk like the humans did. From the crook of its shoulders, as tall as the average person, soared a very thin and long neck that lazily fell in a broken curve, on a curiously expressive round face. Its deep obsidian eyes surrounded by a set of long and graceful lashes, shined in a middle of its other grotesque features (a large flat nose, a ridiculously wide jaw) and wrinkly scaled skin, giving it a perpetual thoughtful expression. A fat tail swept with nonchalance on the sand, probably serving as a counterweight of the front of its body. On what served as romp, Thot had packed her gear. Khsalin rarely allowed humans to travel on their back but tolerated inanimate loads. The scales of the animal were, more than its endurance and good instincts, its most interesting characteristic. The khsalin, depending on its mood or environment, had the ability to change its colour at will, from the lightest of beiges to the darkest brown. Discreet, loyal to a fair owner, it also could go for weeks without needing to drink much, and thus it was the ideal vessel to whom wished to cross the Great Desert of the East.

However, owning a khsalin did not make this journey an easy one. They were entering this strange season between winter and summer, when the fresh breeze of the west had stopped blowing, and the warmer one from the east, had yet to reach them. As a result, the atmosphere was heavy and somehow uncomfortable. And contrary to what the blazing sun was trying to make her believe, in a few weeks, the sandstorm season would be upon them. This was her last journey of the season. Thot intended to make it memorable.

Progressing as the day passed, she finally reached the edge of the sandland. The dunes had gotten smaller and smaller, gradually revealing the earth underneath. The soil there was made of a clayey ground sprinkled with the strangest of rocks. They all were of the same dark purple colour, that starkly contrasted with the light brown tint of the soil. They shared the same sharp edges but varied much in size: some tiny enough to fit in the palm of her hand, others as tall as three khsalin packed on one another. The red sun was mid-course now and casted its mellow light on the desolate landscape. She had a few hours of daylight left. Not knowing much about the area and its eventual predators, she was already on the lookout for a secure spot to spend the night. There was no vegetation there, or any other sign of life for that matter, unlike the sandland, where, for the experienced eyes, life, or traces of it were everywhere. She also felt the khsalin troubled mood. Its pace was getting slower and it seemed to be always trying to follow paths that would bring them back to the dunes. Thot was not sure if it was just fearing the unfamiliar soil or if it was catching on something more ominous. In normal circumstances she would have certainly followed the beast’s instincts and gotten as far as possible from that place. However, she was now too far gone to retreat on suspicion alone. She was also aware of the reputation of the area.

The history of this region was something of a legendary cautionary tale among her people. At its heart was the ancient trading city of Nar. The exact location of the city was lost to most people, but it was supposed to be in the most strategic position at the intersection of the three lands. But more than a simple border town, it was also the most common entry point for the lost and wanderers of the worlds. In the centre of Nar, stood the great Arch. Built by Salila herself, it was rumoured to lie at the point of junction of every world, and thus it was through this very door that all the old and new people of Rathein came into this realm. The Tignn were of course among them as well and, in their own way, they remembered. All was grand, prosperous, and peaceful, until Salila left the living. Quickly after her disappearance, the oath breakers of the west could not resist the appeal of power and dominance. And for the first time in its history, Rathein knew war and chaos. Nar was at the epicentre of conflict because those who controlled the Arch had a say in welcoming or chasing away whom they chose into and from the Empire. The door had then been damaged beyond repair, breaking the balance of the coming and departing. Even the miraculous arrival, a few decades ago, of the legitimate descendant of the founder, Solax the Crownless and her line who now sat on the throne in Kahina, could not bring back all the splendours of the past. But maybe it was for the best, thought the Tignns. Witnesses of time, wars, the victorious, the defeated, always watching and never taking any part in the conflicts, they believed power is dangerous and corrupting. And not everything that is lost, deserves to be revived. As a result of centuries of struggles, Thot was aware that on those very rocks and soil, blood must have been spilled. For once, she tended to agree with her people’s wisdom: from civil wars to foreign invasions, this land was cursed.

However, she was a pathmaker. She knew fear and superstitions are born out of ignorance intertwined with some specks of truth. Her duty was to explore, shed light on the stories and mysteries, until there was not anything scary left in the world.

She wanted to see Arch someday, but there was not any map or any more information on its location among her people, or travellers she had encountered on her way. For now, her focus was the sea, that meant going south. The khsalin was becoming so restless she finally decided to settle for the night, against one particularly impressive hill or rocks. It was blocking their path, and her companion refused to either climb it. There was no way of making a fire here. Anyway, Thot preferred staying discreet, in fear of attracting any unwanted attention to herself. After unpacking her equipment and food from the khsalin, she quickly set up her bed for the night. It consisted of two simple wool blankets that would serve as mattress and cover. Even outside of the sandland, she expected the temperature to drop significantly with the rise of the night sun.

She had maybe an hour left until night rise, and already knew that sleep would most certainly evade her. She did not like to acknowledge it, even in the sanctuary of her own mind, but even her was starting to be affected by the strange tension in the atmosphere. It was somehow clinging to her every movement, weighting on her body as well as her mind. Maybe it would do her some good to tire her body a little more. While contemplating her surrounding, her eyes fell again on the hill.

Why not?

She was not the most experienced climber, but the rock proved to be relatively easy to ascend. A few minutes later, she stood on the top, gazing keenly into the horizon. She saw it.

Her heart skipped a beat. For a second, she could not quite believe it. There, not too far into the distance she could see shapes and structures that were undeniably human made. All her bad feelings, tiredness, anxiety suddenly vanished as she realized, it was Nar!

Her excitement was at an all-time high, and she immediately considered going there. The night was too close to use the khsalin, and she had already unpacked everything. She was faced with two options. First, she could take the reasonable road, and wait till morning to continue her travel in an orderly and sensible way. Or she could just follow her curiosity this instant, and probably spend the night wandering around in the mysterious remains of a lost city...

The answer was obvious.


	2. Nar

##  **Chapter 2: Nar**

She was surrounded by the darkness. The splitting headache did not help. Disoriented, she allowed herself to get lost into the dizzying sensation of opening your lids on complete darkness. When you realize that opened or closed, it does not make a difference. It took a moment for her pupils to start dilating and for her to pick on the faint red glow coming for her left side.

What? Why?

She was lying on the hard ground. Cold, troubled. This was very wrong.

The moment she painfully attempted to get up, a deep male voice resonated.

“Careful.”

She abruptly paused her movement. Holding herself halfway up on her elbows was not the most comfortable position, but with the general stiffness of her body, it did not bother her much. The word had sounded more like an advice than a threat, though, it was not nearly enough to calm the pathmaker.

“Who are you?” she asked, the uncertainty clear in her voice.

After a second of hesitation, she continued:

“What happened? Where am I?”

The man did not immediately reply. Instead, she heard someone getting up and slowly walking in her direction. At this point, her sight had become good enough to discern more distinctly her surroundings. The light source seemed to come with him. When he was only a few feet away, she finally could examine him better. The light was not next to him, but on his body. The brightness that softly devoured the shadow took the form of a stone. A round, shiny, expensive looking crimson stone. It was as if someone had cut a piece of the red sun and made it into some fancy jewel. Her attention then shifted up, on his bare torso, along his broad tall frame, to his face.

He was not human.

Everything from the extreme sharpness of his features, to the bright yellow colour of his irises screamed it. His shoulder length sand coloured hair kept wild around his face only heightened her guess. He was a werewolf, of the unhuman people of Solenia. Many stories were told about them, the nature of their abilities (or curse, depending on the narrator) and their mysterious customs. They were generally thought as peaceful but not to be carelessly provoked. Allies of the Empire, yet, on most matters, fiercely independent.

“Will you answer me?”

Their eyes met. She could not read into his expression. Thot did not know if he was lost into the deepest thoughts, or just kind of bored by the interaction. He finally deigned to open his mouth.

“What do you last remember?”

Good question.

¤ ¤ ¤

Without a single thought for her small encampment and what would probably be a disapproving looking khsalin, she went forward. She lounged the other side of the hill for a minute, until she finally found a descent path down. In the west, the night sun was already showing itself, painting the sky with its dark blue rays. This was stupid. This was exciting. Before reaching the ground, the city had already disappeared from her sight hidden by the increasingly big and numerous rock hills. It was a little less than an hour later that her eyes laid on it once more.

First, was the black wall. The city was obviously built with that same single dark stone that surrounded her. In the night it made the outer protective wall of Nar especially impressive. The black stone seemed to absorb all light into nothingness. The nearer she got, the slower her pace became. Thot had never seen anything like that before. Nothing that high, not human built at least. It was her first time seeing a city, abandoned or not. When she got at arm length from the wall, she paused for a minute. Thot looked up following the obscurity, searching for a weakness. She did not know if she was supposed to be afraid or amazed. Who had built this? Was it Salila’s doing? Was this wall supposed to keep people in or out? It was beyond her.

Of all things people would do, walls and borders of any kind were what she understood the least.

But it was a city, and any city should have an entrance. With this logic in mind, she first looked on her right. Nothing. There was just the long, seemingly infinite black line, slowly curving inward in the distance. Then, on the left. It looked the same. She thought, in a crossroad merchant city like Nar, you would need to open on the major roads. South to the sea, and west on the river. Whatever way she would choose would eventually lead her to one of them.

The world was eerily silent around her. All noise sounded muffled in a way. She could barely even hear her own footsteps. There was no wind against her skin, no nocturnal animal enjoying the coolness of the night. There was nothing but the black wall on one side, and the rock desert on the other.

She walked like this for what felt like a minute, or a year... Out of depth, out of time. Something was happening. The city, or what was inside of it was unsettling all her senses. It could not possibly be all in her head. Thot knew herself and what she was capable of. In a life traveling the merciless sandland, one needed that confidence and knowledge. She should have been able to tell time, distance, and direction just by looking at the sky. Her hearing, touch and sight were perfect. But every time she would look to the sky, she could not focus on the sun, nor any other star. She was not afraid, yet. There was no going back, not now. She tried to focus forward, but her vision kept getting blurrier. The world was made of three colours: black, blue, and brown melting into each other. Her legs were moving outside of her will. Her own thoughts started escaping from her mind. She walked, straight ahead. Until she tripped.

She was now lying in was resembled a dry riverbed. The fall appeared to have somehow broken the spell. Thot stayed there a moment, considering the situation. Her instinct was telling her, it was the wall. She could not face it anymore, not even for a second. No wonder Nar was lost. She always wondered what would push people to completely leave behind such a legendary place, arch or no arch. Someone must have cast a spell on it, centuries ago, to discourage anyone from entering it. It was the only conceivable explanation. This realization only intensified her will. Any protection, be it solid like stone or powered through magic, must have weakened over time. Maybe, she was one of the first to get that close to Nar since the destruction of the Arch. There was only one way to know.

Still avoiding the cursed stone menacingly standing over her, she frantically started studying her surroundings. She could not just continue to follow the wall. There probably was not any obvious opening and climbing that thing would be impossible with closed eyes. But if one cannot go up, maybe they can go down... She was in a riverbed. Being so close to the fortification, it was most likely that, at the time water still flowed there, one way or another it was meant to get inside of the city.

She closely inspected the ground. The river or canal was six or seven cubits long and half this in depth. She quickly reached the deepest point and followed it to the base of the wall. There it was. The length of her forearm, peaking through the dried mud, a very rusty metallic grid. She only gave it a short glance, before closing her eyes shut. It was time to dig.

The ground was softer than expected. It did not take long to expose the grid completely. And to her great surprise, it did not show much resistance when she started pulling on it. It popped right into her eager hands. She felt the opening with her palms: it was tight but feasible. Without wasting anymore time, she went through the whole, blind, and restless.

And when she finally arrived on the other side, the most marvellous vision awaited her. It was as if not a day had passed since the golden days of Nar. While all traces of organic life seemed to have vanished, there was no inhabitant, animal or even a single plant in sight, the inorganic parts on the other hand were in pristine condition. She was first met with another wall, but of a very different kind. Ahead of her stood the massive buildings she had ever set her eyes on. It was one thing to know about cities, it was another to stand at the edge of one. Of course, it was all made from the same stone, the paved streets, the houses, and everything in between. However, the simple elegant architecture (and probably the absence of a mysterious repelling spell) was more pleasing than menacing. The streets were narrow, with facing buildings often connected on the higher floors by covered bridges. The front of most houses would have covered passages and arcades, probably to provide shade during the hot desert days. The windows were high and thin, usually left without closure or glass panels to allow the wind through without trapping the heat in. The first few blocks of building she passed were impressive, towering at four or five stories high. The further she went into the city, the lower the constructions became. The roads, as well as the general organisation of neighbourhoods and building were also telling. Everything seemed to have been made to converge into a sort of centre. Thot eventually found her way to a larger street, and followed it, always in the same direction. Nearly an hour passed before the road finally ended.

In front of her, she could see a rounded open space. She noticed, as expected, that four different avenues also lead to that point, at equal distance in all directions. It all converged to a set of wide and plain stairs going down. There was no doubt the Arch must be hidden somewhere inside.

From atop, the large and slightly rounded roof reminded her of a smooth hill. She could see no ornaments or paint to decorate it, as appeared was the taste of the builders of Nar. It is only when she reached the entrance that the sophistication of the building became apparent. Under the naked dome, she could see no walls, but a forest of delicately carved pillars, at least three meters high, joined to each other by a web of pointed arcs. They met and crossed by an impossible feat of masonry, making the ceiling into a sea of stars. At the centre of each crossing, beautifully carved openings into the night allowed the blue light to enter. It was so evident for Thot, that nothing but the magic of Vayu could explain how such a structure was able to exist and stand. After a few more minutes lost to wonder, she finally stepped inside. She quickly lost count of distance under the dome, only fixated on her goal. Pillar after pillar, at last she started to distinguish yet another arching shape. She quickened her pace, her heart accelerating accordingly and her expectations at an all-time high. What a chance! What a discovery! Finally, the Arch of Nar was...

It was bit of a disappointment. Compared to the marvel of architecture surrounding it, the seemingly natural and rough archway was not very impressive. Also, it was not broken. The opening was maybe two meters in height, double in width. It was a natural oddity, for sure (how could such a thin portal of stone form in such a way?). It looked ancient, unstable, and frankly underwhelming. On it, she could see no scripture, no sign to distinguish it as a magical artefact. It was just the same dark stone polished by wind and time.

Finally, she approached the Arch. It may have looked plain, but the second she put her hand on the smooth stone, her opinion shifted. It was too warm, but also too  _ dense _ . There was an intensity, a sort of vibration beyond matter, and somehow Thot knew it was getting closer. As soon as the realization hit her consciousness, everything went to chaos.

It started with a searing pain in her hand. She immediately removed it from the now scorching stone. Then, somewhere in the back she heard a voice, shouting something urgently. As if that was not enough, a bright blue light pierced through the centre of the Arch. The humming coming from the stone suddenly intensified, until it became audible. From the bottom of her belly, Thot felt a deep terror blooming and uncharacteristically, she started panicking. For a wild second, Thot figured she must have done something wrong, somehow tempering with legendary magic. The thought was so ridiculous, it brought some of her senses back. Her presence alone meant nothing for the Arch, she was just there, on her most unlucky day.

The Arch was opening, she guessed that much.

She finally took frantic steps backward. In her haste of course, she tripped on her own foot. Thot felt herself falling headfirst against the nearest pillar. Blunt pain, hazy thoughts. Consciousness was leaving her, she knew it. Her eyes stuck on the Arch, she attempted to hide behind the offending pillar, as the first men entered Rathein. From behind, hands suddenly pressed against her shoulders. Thot tried desperately to detach herself. But too much of her strength had already left her. And soon enough, she fell into the shadow.

¤ ¤ ¤

“Nar. I found Nar. Then, the Arch. It was opening, I fell… there were soldiers. From beyond.” While pronouncing words, everything flooded to the surface. Then, she paused, realizing suddenly there was no indication if the werewolf was an ally or not. “Who are you?”

“Milan.”

The answer was brief and to the point. His deep voice resonated in the room. Of course, she expected more. After a few seconds, he finally added “I took you with me. Before they could kill you.”

His rhythm was calm, nearly comforting, the soft solenien accent barely perceptible in his intonation. He must have been the hands… and the shouting voice…

There was so many questions fighting to be asked in her head, yet, she still could not put adequate words on anything that had just passed. There was no attempt at pretence in her tone anymore, while she asked, “What…what was that?”

“You remember right, about the soldiers. They are the Vojnakh, a mercenary army from beyond. Scouts, probably. They are preparing for an invasion.”

The dam was broken it seemed, from then on Thot just followed question after question, regardless if he properly answered any of them.

“What are  _ you _ doing here? And why did you save me?”

“You needed saving.”

Well, there was no denying that.

“How did they get through? The Arch was supposed to be broken.”

“It was never broken, simply lost. For the most part.”

“Where is this place?”

“Under the city. You are safe, but not for long. I could not transport you two very far. They are looking for us right now. I will provide some distraction. Your kind travel by khsalin, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“And they have no chance of out running a pathmaker of the desert folk?”

“Few could do that in the sandland,” she confirmed, “but you said… two?”

Once again, her words were met with an unnerving pause. For the first time, he seemed hesitant.

“You owe me your life, pathmaker.” He finally declared.

“I do.”

“Keep that in mind.” Then, with a movement of his head, he indicated a direction in the obscurity. “This way.”

She followed him, staying as close as was comfortable. The red glimmer on his chest kept eating on the darkness until it revealed a body. It was lying directly on the ground. It was a man, barely out of his teens. She could not really distinguish much of his features. Thot was taken by the stark contrast of his pale skin, glistening with perspiration, and his messy jet-black hair. That was a look you would not see much around here.

“And who is he?”

“A Disciple.”

At this word, Thot stumbled backward. Yet another thing to add to this impossible night. Weren’t they supposed to be the bad guys? And what would a Disciple be doing that far south? She never had personally encountered one of them before, but the rumours ran strong against the Disciples. No one had heard of them, until they suddenly appeared twenty or so years ago. Despite the protection of the imperial family, the people of Rathein could not accept them. After all, no new people had set foot on this world since the time of Salila, hostile invasion attempts being the exception. The word was, they were beings of shadow, secretive and so completely foreign. Thieves, spies, or killers, it depended on the story, or the teller.

“Why?” she breathed, taken aback.

Milan once again chose silence for an answer, his piercing gaze settling heavily on her own. Thot struggled to keep her chin up, and her eyes focused. He was an intimidating person, but she would not allow herself to give in.

“I will show you the way out of Nar. Take him with you, through the sandland.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I saved you when you needed it. I ask you to do the same for this man.” His tone did not leave any space for contradiction. And really, Thot would not feel at ease leaving a wounded person (even a Disciple) behind. Milan must have guessed that much, or just decided her opinion did not matter. “I trust you can find your khsalin without help?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. Then, the werewolf turned once again to the Disciple and proceeded to take him in his arms. Thot hesitated for a second before helping him. They went on, Thot naturally falling into Milan’s steps, each carrying the unconscious man with one arm on around the shoulder. The pace was slow, uneasy. She felt at some point a slight limp in his walking. She could not help but notice how it grew heavier and heavier, as they progressed through the underground passages. As formidable an impression he gave, the werewolf got hurt. In the process of saving two unconnected (and foolish in her case) strangers, he took a hit, and was going to serve as bait to allow them to escape.

She felt a growing respect for the solenien, and along with it, an urge to know more about him. However, the situation was not the most appropriate for small talk. Also, he did not strike her as the chatty type. Twice he would save her, maybe dying in the process, and she barely knew his name. The Tignn kept her questions for herself, settling on catching glances at him every few steps. If Milan noticed her attention, he chose not the address it.

Finally, he paused. In front of them, from what Thot could see, was a small roughly carved tunnel going progressively up. He then transferred the weight of the Disciple unto Thot. Once his hands free of the sick man, he carefully removed his glowing necklace, before placing it around Thot’s neck.

“You will need this.”

Again, those infuriating sharp eyes were stuck on her for longer than should be necessary. He meant to say more, maybe. But there was no time. He then pointed to the tunnel: “Follow this way, the surface is not far. You may have to dig a little. You will be out of sight from Nar, with the wall behind you. Good luck, Pathmaker.”


End file.
